Innovations in Data Center Power and Cooling Solutions

Mission Critical Group invests in WattEV

Mission Critical Group (MCG), a critical power infrastructure company, has announced a strategic investment in WattEV to support the development of 800V DC power infrastructure for AI data centres. The partnership focuses on advancing power delivery systems designed to meet the increasing demands of high-density AI workloads, including generative AI and inference applications. As part of the agreement, Mission Critical Group will support the industrialisation and deployment of a medium-voltage solid-state transformer (SST) platform. This technology is intended to enable the transition to 800V DC architectures within large-scale data centre environments. The companies state that traditional AC-based power systems are facing limitations as AI workloads scale, driving interest in alternative approaches to power distribution. The proposed 800V DC architecture enables direct conversion from medium-voltage AC, with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing system complexity. The modular design is intended to support flexible deployment, faster installation, and easier expansion. High-density power delivery Jeff Drees, CEO of Mission Critical Group, says, “We are building the next evolution in modular power delivery. The investment in WattEV highlights our commitment to advancing solutions for ultra-high-density AI workloads, including generative AI and inference.” Michael Maiello, SVP of Innovation at Mission Critical Group, adds, “We are moving beyond incremental improvements to a fundamentally different power architecture. "By converting the ultra-high-power demands of AI directly from medium-voltage AC to 800 VDC, we unlock the full efficiency and performance benefits of 800 VDC distribution.” Salim Youssefzadeh, CEO of WattEV, concludes, “Our technology is already proven in high-power, real-world applications where efficiency and reliability are critical. Together with MCG, we’re bringing that performance into the data centre to accelerate the adoption of 800 VDC architectures with confidence and speed.” The companies state that the collaboration aims to support the deployment of scalable power infrastructure for next-generation AI data centres. For more from Mission Critical Group, click here.

Carrier launches AquaEdge chiller

Carrier, a manufacturer of HVAC, refrigeration, and fire and security equipment, has introduced the AquaEdge 19MV4 centrifugal chiller, designed to support cooling requirements in high-density AI data centres. The system forms part of the company’s QuantumLeap portfolio and is intended for use in environments where increasing compute density and rising temperatures place pressure on existing cooling infrastructure. The chiller is designed to deliver between 2.1 MW and 3.3 MW of cooling capacity, supporting workloads driven by high-performance GPUs. It is also engineered to operate with chilled-water temperatures of up to 35°C and condensing temperatures up to 55°C, aligning with liquid cooling approaches such as direct-to-chip and rear-door heat exchangers. Designed for high-density cooling environments Carrier states that the system uses a variable-speed centrifugal compressor capable of operating between 10% and 100% load, allowing it to respond to fluctuating AI workloads without frequent cycling. Marti Urpinas, Senior Technical Manager, Vertical Markets EMEA, DC Applied at Carrier, comments, “AI workloads are reshaping data centre specifications, pushing our customers to seek greater thermal headroom without sacrificing power stability. "That sounds like a tall order, but the AquaEdge 19MV4 isn’t a ‘standard’ chiller; it’s a variable-speed centrifugal platform that delivers cooling continuity for high-density racks, even as operators push chilled-water temperatures higher to support direct-to-chip architectures.” The unit is designed to restart within 150 seconds following a power interruption, supporting thermal recovery and reducing the risk of overheating in high-density environments. It also incorporates harmonic filtering to limit electrical distortion and protect associated infrastructure, including uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). Carrier reports that the system can achieve a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 6.75 and an integrated part load value (IPLV) of 11.4 under AHRI test conditions. The chiller is available with refrigerants including R-1234ze and R-515B, supporting compliance with EU F-Gas regulations. Additionally, noise levels are specified at below 80dBA under defined operating conditions. For more from Carrier, click here.

ZIEHL-ABEGG highlights ZAbluefin fan

German ventilation manufacturer ZIEHL-ABEGG has outlined the performance characteristics of its ZAbluefin centrifugal fan, designed for HVAC and air handling unit applications. The fan uses a biomimetic blade design, including a corrugated leading edge and twisted geometry, to improve airflow efficiency. A serrated trailing edge is intended to reduce turbulence and noise while maintaining stable performance under varying airflow conditions. According to the company, the design supports energy efficiency at typical operating points, particularly in environments where airflow may be disrupted. Focus on efficiency and low-noise operation The ZAbluefin fan is designed to reduce sound output, with a focus on minimising tonal noise, making it suitable for noise-sensitive environments. Its performance curve allows for a wider operating range without flow separation, enabling system designers to meet different requirements without oversizing equipment. The fan is also intended to support compliance with current and future efficiency regulations. The product range covers diameters from 250mm to 1,120mm, with airflow capability of up to around 90,000m³/h and static pressure up to approximately 2,500Pa. This allows use across both compact and large-scale HVAC systems. ZIEHL-ABEGG has also developed a one-piece mounting system to support installation. The mount is designed for multiple orientations, including horizontal and vertical configurations, and is intended to simplify installation and reduce component variation. The company states that the combined fan and mounting design aims to improve efficiency, reduce noise, and simplify deployment across a range of HVAC applications. For more from ZIEHL-ABEGG, click here.

hi-tequity reports 5GW modular power delivery

hi-tequity, a provider of mission-critical infrastructure for data centres, says it has delivered 5GW of data centre infrastructure over a two-and-a-half-year period, alongside completing more than 200 projects. The company states that this activity includes deployments structured around 100MW data centre blocks, reflecting increasing demand from hyperscale and AI-driven workloads. Operations have also expanded across 25 US states during this period, as demand for capacity continues to grow. Industry forecasts highlight the scale of that demand. The International Energy Agency reports that electricity use from data centres could double by 2026, driven largely by AI workloads. At the same time, CBRE data indicates vacancy rates in major US markets have fallen below 3%, with power availability emerging as a primary constraint on new developments. A focus on power and deployment timelines hi-tequity attributes its recent boost in activity to a focus on power availability, supply chain coordination, and construction timelines. The company states it secures electrical capacity before site acquisition, while also working with manufacturing partners to support equipment supply, including transformers, switchgear, uninterruptible power systems, and cooling infrastructure. It also reports the use of modular and prefabricated approaches to reduce construction timelines for large-scale deployments. As data centre design requirements evolve, particularly for AI applications, the company highlights increasing rack densities exceeding 30kW, alongside higher cooling and power redundancy requirements. Ryne Friedman, Associate at hi-tequity, comments, “The bottleneck in AI infrastructure is no longer compute; it’s power and deployment speed. "Our ability to deliver 100MW in nine months and scale to 5GW of infrastructure demonstrates that the industry needs a fundamentally different approach to building data centres - one that starts with power and ends with execution certainty.”

Legrand acquires TES in data centre push

Legrand, a French multinational infrastructure products manufacturer, has acquired TES - including TES Power, a provider of power distribution equipment and modular electrical rooms for data centres - as part of its ongoing expansion in the data centre sector. The deal forms part of Legrand’s wider acquisition strategy, which also includes the purchase of Chinese rack manufacturer Keydak. The company says the latest transactions are intended to strengthen its position in data centre infrastructure, particularly in compute environments and critical power systems. TES, headquartered in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, employs around 300 people and reports annual revenue of £72 million. The business supplies power distribution equipment to the European data centre market, as well as the UK and Irish utility sectors. In recent years, TES has expanded its manufacturing capacity, including the opening of a 300,000ft² (27,870m²) facility in County Derry. The site supports production of low-voltage power distribution equipment for data centre and infrastructure projects. An acquisition supporting data centre growth plans Legrand states that TES generates a significant proportion of its revenue from data centres, aligning with its focus on digital infrastructure. This acquisition of TES, alongside Keydak, adds an estimated €285 million (£248.8 million) in combined annual revenue. Benoît Coquart, Chief Executive Officer at Legrand, says, “These two new transactions strengthen our position in the data centre market, both in compute infrastructure (around the chip) and in critical power. "With these announcements, a total of four acquisitions have been announced this year, all in data centres, which accounted for 26% of our revenue at the end of 2025.” TES says it will continue to operate from its existing sites in Cookstown and County Derry, maintaining its current workforce and manufacturing operations. Brian Taylor, CEO of TES, notes, “Joining Legrand is a landmark moment for TES. Over the past number of years, we have scaled our operations at an incredible pace, and this acquisition is a testament to the hard work and expertise of our entire team. "Legrand’s global reach and market-leading position in the electrical sector provide the perfect platform for TES to further expand our international presence.” Noel McCracken, Managing Director of TES, adds, “Our mission has always been to provide innovative, high-quality engineering for critical infrastructure. "With the support of Legrand, we can accelerate our investment in state-of-the-art manufacturing and continue to lead the way in both the water and power critical infrastructure markets.”

JSM constructing power infrastructure for Maincubes Berlin DC

JSM Group, a provider of integrated utility infrastructure solutions, has commenced construction of the high-voltage substation and cable route for Maincubes’ new data centre campus in Nauen, Germany. The start of the works follows the granting of a building permit for the energy infrastructure and represents a major milestone in the delivery of the main Hub Berlin campus. JSM is responsible for the delivery of the companioned 110kV cable route and substation - critical components that will underpin the campus’s long-term energy security and scalability. The approximately six kilometre cable route will transport electricity from renewable energy sources via the modern E.DIS distribution network to the site’s 110kV substation. Enabling high-performance infrastructure for cloud and AI The new campus has been designed with a grid connection capacity of 200 megawatts - with further expansion options available - to support high-performance computing environments, including advanced AI workloads and complex data analytics. Maincubes selected Nauen as the site for its new campus due to the Berlin-Brandenburg region’s stable energy supply, strong renewable generation from wind and photovoltaics, and favourable conditions for sustainable growth. Oliver Menzel, CEO of Maincubes, comments, “The start of construction of the substation is the next visible step on our journey towards Hub Berlin. "In Nauen, a state-of-the-art data centre location is being created: regionally rooted and internationally connected. In doing so, we are consistently continuing the success story of Maincubes and reinforcing our commitment to sustainable, energy efficient, and resilient digital infrastructure.” JSM leadership perspective Michael Booth, CEO of JSM Group, says, “This project highlights JSM Group’s capability to deliver complex, high-voltage energy infrastructure for mission critical environments. "Data centres of this scale demand absolute reliability, technical excellence, and close collaboration with our partners. We are proud to be playing a central role in enabling Maincubes’ expansion in the Berlin region and supporting the delivery of sustainable, high-performance digital infrastructure.” Michael Wiebersinsky, Mayor of the City of Nauen, adds, “With the new data centre campus, our region is developing into a highly modern location where future innovations can emerge. From a sustainability perspective, it gives me confidence that Nauen will be a reliable partner for the operating company, Maincubes.” Hanjo During, Managing Director of E.DIS Netz, notes, “With the campus currently under development, we will connect a particularly high-performance data centre to our regional electricity distribution network. With the campus planned here in Nauen, the connected capacity will increase significantly in the future.” Through the Nauen development, Maincubes says it continues to expand its presence in the capital region, building on the "successful operation of its first Berlin data centre, BER01."

Data centre cooling in the AI era

During a busy Data Centre World London 2026, Joe from DCNN caught up with Alistair Barnes (pictured above), Global Head of Mechanical Engineering at Colt DCS, to ask how the mechanical engineering discipline is evolving in response to the rapid rise of AI workloads. The two discussed a variety of topics, from the shift towards liquid cooling solutions to the challenge of keeping pace with ever-increasing rack-level power densities. Here, you can read the full Q&A, in which Alistair shares his perspective on where liquid cooling stands today, how Colt DCS's Global Reference Design philosophy shapes its approach to data centre infrastructure, and what he believes remains the industry's toughest unsolved engineering challenge: Liquid cooling, rack densities, and the future of mechanical engineering Joe: Hi, Alistair! So, how is mechanical engineering keeping pace with the shift to higher-density AI workloads? Alistair: Mechanical engineers are keeping pace with higher‑density AI workloads by moving beyond traditional air‑only cooling and rethinking the entire thermal design stack. Instead of simply supplying cold air, they now operate more like system integrators, collaborating closely with IT and facilities teams to cool heat‑intensive components such as GPUs. This includes integrating direct‑to‑chip cold plates, liquid distribution loops, and hybrid cooling systems capable of managing the extreme heat generated by modern AI hardware. Joe: In your opinion, is liquid cooling now a mainstream solution or still a specialist one? Alistair: Liquid cooling is becoming increasingly mainstream, but the industry isn’t yet at a point where it can rely on liquid alone, as air still plays an important role in most deployments. Operators adopting Global Reference Designs (GRDs) now include liquid‑cooling options to support high‑density AI workloads that air alone can’t efficiently manage. As a result, many still use hybrid setups that combine air cooling with liquid where needed. Closed‑loop systems, such as liquid‑to‑chip, circulate coolant in a sealed loop, ensuring near‑zero wastewater and making them practical and sustainable. Joe: Where does mechanical engineering sit in Colt DCS's broader data centre design philosophy? Alistair: Mechanical engineering sits at the core of our design philosophy, supporting our commitment to delivering scalable, efficient, and sustainable data centre solutions. We adopt a GRD, a standardised and repeatable blueprint that accelerates deployment, optimises cost, and maintains consistent quality while remaining flexible enough to meet local requirements. Mechanical engineers play a key role in shaping the GRD, ensuring mission-critical cooling infrastructure and integrating new technologies across sites to support future growth and reliable operations. Joe: What's the hardest engineering problem the industry hasn't solved yet? Alistair: The hardest engineering problem the industry hasn’t solved is keeping pace with the accelerating rise in rack‑level power densities. Liquid cooling is advancing quickly and can manage far more heat than ever before, but single‑rack densities approaching 2MW and beyond are increasing faster than these solutions can be deployed at scale. The real challenge is delivering this capacity sustainably - balancing cooling performance, energy efficiency, and power availability - all while accelerating build timelines to keep up with customer demand. For more from Colt DCS, click here.

SATLINE completes Tier III infrastructure modernisation

SATLINE, a Lithuanian provider of virtual satellite-to-IP streaming services and colocation for satellite communications, has upgraded its core infrastructure to align with Tier III standards under the Uptime Institute Tier Classification System, strengthening resilience across its power and cooling environments. The upgrade introduces full redundancy across critical systems, enabling concurrent maintainability and removing single points of failure, all without interrupting live operations. The project included a comprehensive overhaul of SATLINE’s infrastructure, namely: • Power redundancy — upgraded from a single generator to two fully redundant generators• Expanded UPS capacity — systems doubled to improve runtime and load handling• Modernised cooling — HVAC systems redesigned for full redundancy and improved efficiency• Tier III-aligned architecture — enabling maintenance without service disruption All improvements were reportedly completed with no customer-impacting downtime. Improved resilience and operational continuity The transition from Tier II to a Tier III-aligned design delivers a fully resilient environment. This allows any component within the infrastructure to be serviced without affecting operations, while also improving fault tolerance and scalability. For customers, the upgrade should provide greater continuity, even during maintenance or future system expansions. Simas Mockevicius, Senior Network Engineer at SATLINE, comments, “Our Tier III–aligned upgrade has already delivered measurable gains in operational resilience. “Building on a 10-year track record of 100% uptime across both network and power, we have further strengthened our infrastructure through fully redundant power generation, increased UPS capacity, and modernised cooling. "The result is a system that not only sustains uninterrupted service, but is engineered to exceed the reliability benchmarks our customers depend on.” The upgrade, according to the SATLINE, forms part of its broader strategy to support the uptime demands of satellite communications and critical connectivity services. The company has also outlined plans to expand into Asia, targeting regions with growing demand for satellite connectivity.

ABB extends VoltaGrid data centre power deal

ABB, a multinational corporation specialising in industrial automation and electrification products, has secured additional orders from VoltaGrid, a Texas-based microgrid power generation company, to support data centre power infrastructure projects, linked to growing demand from AI workloads. The agreement was signed on 25 March 2026 at CERAWeek in Houston, USA, extending the companies’ existing collaboration. The orders are expected to be recorded in the second quarter of 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the agreement, ABB will supply 35 synchronous condensers with flywheel technology, alongside prefabricated eHouse units. These systems are used to support voltage stability in power networks, particularly for high-density data centre environments. The equipment will form part of VoltaGrid’s behind-the-meter power infrastructure, designed to provide stable and rapidly deployable energy for large-scale data centre operations. Supporting power stability for AI workloads Synchronous condensers help stabilise electricity networks by providing inertia, supporting short-circuit events, and managing reactive power. ABB’s scope also includes medium- and low-voltage distribution systems, as well as excitation systems intended to maintain reliability and uptime. Nathan Ough, CEO of VoltaGrid, says, “VoltaGrid’s power platform is purpose built to deliver large-scale power with exceptional dynamic performance and reliability for next-generation digital infrastructure. “By integrating ABB’s advanced grid stabilisation technologies with our AI-optimised power systems, we are able to meet increasingly stringent transient performance requirements while accelerating deployment at gigawatt scale.” Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB’s Energy Industries division, adds, “Extending our collaboration with VoltaGrid demonstrates the strength of ABB’s businesses working together combining automation, electrification, and motion expertise and technologies with innovative distributed power systems to create greater value for customers. “Together, we are enabling reliable, resilient, and scalable power infrastructure for data centres serving the rapidly growing AI economy.” Data centres accounted for around 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, with the United States representing approximately 45% of that total. For more from ABB, click here.

STULZ, Merford conduct unique acoustic test for data centres

STULZ, a manufacturer of mission-critical air conditioning technology, and Merford, a Dutch specialist in noise control systems and acoustic doors, have completed an acoustic test confirming that a newly developed chiller system can meet strict data centre noise regulations under operational conditions. The test was carried out on a chiller for a project in Valeggio sul Mincio, Italy. It used a validated measurement methodology designed to reflect real-world performance, as operators increasingly consider noise alongside cooling capacity and energy efficiency. As data centre power densities increase, larger cooling systems can create greater environmental impact, particularly in urban locations. The project required compliance with a maximum night-time noise level of 80.2dB(A), prompting acoustic considerations to be integrated early in the design process. Davide Mazzi, Head of the Application Team at STULZ, explains, “The challenge was not only to guarantee efficient cooling, but to comply with extremely strict noise limits. “The installation is located on a rooftop in a densely built urban environment. Our task was to deliver the required performance without disturbing the surroundings and without compromising the operational reliability of the data centre.” Acoustic testing under real operating conditions The companies developed a noise attenuation system tailored to the chiller configuration. Acoustic measurements were conducted in line with EN ISO 9614-2:1997, which determines sound power levels using sound intensity measurements. Before testing, the team carried out an environmental analysis using SoundPLAN software to model sound propagation. The test setup ensured that background noise levels were at least 10dB below the chiller’s output, with surrounding equipment positioned to avoid interference. Two attenuation configurations were assessed: Both used steel frame structures with integrated acoustic components to reduce airborne and structure-borne noise, while the second configuration also included additional optimisation measures, resulting in greater overall noise reduction (although it increased system weight and complexity). Engineers measured sound power levels with and without the attenuation system to quantify performance and confirm compliance with the required limits. Davide continues, “We were delighted to find that the chiller equipped with the developed attenuation system successfully met the stringent noise requirements. “This project demonstrates that data centre cooling and acoustic compliance can be achieved simultaneously when engineering, acoustic design, and validation are approached as an integrated process. "As data centres continue to expand into urban environments, such integrated approaches are likely to become essential for balancing performance, sustainability, and community impact.” For more from STULZ, click here.